Monday, June 16, 2008

LEMON MOUSSE - MOUSSE AU CITRON

In my Wednesday post, I spoke about a fabulous dessert that I made in February and which was accompanied by delicious little "Chestnut Bites" (see link & recipe) . Well, as promised, today, I'm blogging about my exquisite "Danish Lemon Mousse" verrines...

As far as I can remember, I've always been attracted to anything acidic and citrusy. I find that those flavors associate themselves extremely well with foods of the savory and sweet kind.

Acidity (vinegar, lemon juice, wine, tomatoes, etc...) is one of the five basic tastes which are detected by our tastebuds (sweetness, bitterness, saltiness, sourness and "umami" or savoriness ). It imparts a sour (tart) flavor on the tongue and affects the texture (tenderizer), shelf life (conservative) and color (decoloration of low-acid foods) of foods. It is also very useful in the kitchen as it enhances the savor of many ingredients and contrasts wonderfully with them...

I have found the recipe for this "Danish Lemon Mousse" in an old (circa 1993) brochure published by the Swiss Migros magazine "Cuisine De Saison". At first glance, I saw that this dessert had a lot of potential and I wasn't wrong as it proved to be scrumptious as well as versatile. The very first time I made it (10 years ago), I was blown away by it's refined taste and delicate texture. Since then, it has become a big classic around my home and it never fails to please us!

I really appreciate this mousse's gorgeous airiness and fluffiness, it's amazing taste and well-balanced acidity. Being sharp enough without being too tangy, nor being too sweet or too fat, it is ideal if you are looking for a heavenly and an acceptably calorific dessert to end your meal.

Served in a verrine over a luscious layer of "White Chocolate Ganache" (see recipe) and topped with a pretty as well as a toasty fragrant "Sesame Praline" decoration (see a helpful recipe/note that I make mine only with sugar and sesame seeds) and paired with delightful little "Chestnut Bites" (see recipe), this dessert is mindblowingly toothsome. Those eye-catchy verrines look very elegant, but it is nothing compared to the way they taste (far better)!

Ingredients:3 Gelatine sheets (see remarks)3 Eggs (~60g)60g Castor sugar2 Organic lemons (heavy/juicy ones), washed150ml Double cream (35% fat)Method:1. Put the gelatine to soften in cold water for a few minutes.2. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.3. Put the yolks and the sugar in a big bowl.

4. Put the egg whites in another big bowl.5. Grate the zest from 1 1/2 lemons into the egg yolks.6. Etract the juice from both lemons.7. Add the sugar to the egg yolks and whisk until pale in color and fluffy.8. Add the lemon juice and mix well.9. Put the gelatine in a small pan and melt over low heat.10. Incorporate the melted gelatine to the yolk/sugar/zest/lemon juice mixture.11. Place in the refrigerator for a while, until it slightly sets.12. Then, with a (hand) mixer whisk the egg whites until foamy and very stiff to peak stage.13. With a (hand) mixer, whisk the cream into until fluffy and stiff (don't overbeat it).14. Incorporate both the whipped cream and egg whites delicately into the yolk/sugar/zest/lemon juice mixture, using a spatula.15. Pour into a clean bowl or into verrines.16. Put it/them in the refrigerator to set, about 4-5 hours or overnight.

Remarks:The lemons have to be very juicy.One sheet gelatines weighs about 1.6g, so you'll need around 5g gelatine.

Serving suggestions:I poured a layer of "White Chocolate Ganache" into the verrines/glasses and let it set in the refrigerator (2 hours before pouring the "Lemon Mousse" into the glasses). Then I poured some "Lemon Mousse" over the first layer.Just before serving, I decorated my verrines with the pulp of a (1 or 2) passionfruit sweetened with some icing sugar and "Sesame Praline" decorations.You can also decorate them with "Chantilly Cream" or a small "Swiss Meringue Kiss" or a "Macaron".I recommend you to accompany this mousse with "Chestnute Bites" (see recipe).

I'm not even surprised to come here this late and find so many comments already!!!Wow! What a presentation... you truly outdid yourself! Everything is soooooo perfect! ...and I'm not just talking about the picture, nor the food... but the colors, the textures... everything seems simply out of this world!

oh rosa there is no word to describe this mousse but paradise..you'll definitely feel like your in paradise..the beauty is so perfect and bet the taste is exquisite!! :-)

btw, you mentioned about tastespotting being gone..i started a food blog gallery too..though is not a copycat of tastespotting for i want to bring something new. you can chekc it our Recipe Muncher :-) you are invited!!